Amplify! Blog

Early childhood professionals have navigated a pandemic, employment changes, extra duties and major funding changes, and are now facing a workforce crisis. Supporting mental wellbeing is even more important now than ever.

Amanda Abel, a psychologist at Northern Centre for Child Development, says that educators run the risk of burnout if their mental health is not in some part supported by their workplace. We share six resources that can help to support improved mental wellbeing in the workplace. 

Early childhood educators understand the importance of outdoor play: fresh air, vitamin D, gross motor development and connecting with nature. Health precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic have made outdoor play even more desirable, but getting outside in the winter months can be challenging.

The Front Project’s latest survey of over 1000 parents and carers highlights how COVID-19 has reinforced the value of early childhood education and care in families’ minds.

It’s an ugly thought to imagine that someone you trust is stealing from your organisation, perhaps directly from the families and children. Even so, it isn't uncommon in Australia for a court hearing to be held for fraud in an early learning or school setting.

The Bright Tomorrows app, which is free to download, has been designed to help parents and carers to support children’s brain development.

What was your childhood comfort item? For ECE Operations Manager Liz Pennings’ son Logan, it was his single bed-sized blanket.

Back in 2017, Amplify shared an interview with Bambini of Lilyfield centre director Anmol Lohia, whose powerful belief in creative arts education had led to many positive outcomes for the children at the centre, and the local community.

In an early April press release, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the importance of our sector during COVID, saying “… [ECEC] services are vital for so many parents so they can provide for their family, and children need as much familiarity and continuity as we can help provide at this unsettling time.”

Deborah Hoger, a Dunghutti woman and early years indigenous educational resources specialist, shares how we can celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture in an authentic way.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a new focus on the need for outdoor spaces and the ability to separate groups – but outdoor space is often limited in ECEC, particularly in city and suburban areas.